Cannons
Conventional Cannons
Like firearms, the cannons of Loretan are the work of artificers more so than mundane craftsmen. Made of cast iron, they are otherwise indistinguishable from their renaissance counterparts, save for the ammunition--specially crafted, self-propelling cannon balls.
Since the primary cost of a cannon ball are the magical components, rather than the lead or iron of which it is made, the size is irrelevant. All cannons use the same ammunition, for the sake of simplicity.
All cannon balls are magic items (Craft Magic Arms and Armor) with a market value of 50 gp.
As siege weapons, the cannons require one or more operators with the Profession (siege engineer) skill. They are not difficult to operate, requiring a DC 10 check on the part of all engineers each round of operation, but stressful conditions can cause errors which delay the firing of the weapon.
A cannon takes a certain amount of time to clean out, reload, aim, and fire, expressed in the number of rounds all crew members must take a full-round action and pass a DC 10 Profession (siege engineer) check. One of the crew members is always the gunner, who, once the gun is fully loaded, takes the shot as if it were a ranged weapon. The gunner must have proficiency in firearms (a Martial Weapon Group Proficiency (firearms) weapon group).
The weapons can also be wielded by creatures larger than men, as if they were simply large firearms. However, in this case, they are Exotic Weapon Proficiency weapons, which must be designed specifically for this purpose. It does not change the cost.
Conventional Cannons as Siege Weapons
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{{Weapon |Name=Light cannon |Type=Ranged |Feat=Martial Weapon Group Proficiency (firearms) (gunner only) |Hand=n/a |Damage=3d8 |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=125 ft |MaxRange=1250 ft |Reload=1 full round (minimum) |Cost=5000 gp |Text=Requires a crew of 1-2. Loading or reloading takes one full round with both crew members, or 3 full rounds with one crew member. Once the weapon is loaded, it can be fired as an attack action by the gunner. It is a huge weapon, and therefore imparts a -8 penalty to attack rolls when fired by a medium creature. On a ship, this type of weapon requires a light mount. Against ships, a cannon bypasses the normal 50% damage reduction of a ship's hull. }} |
{{Weapon |Name=Heavy cannon |Type=Ranged |Feat=Martial Weapon Group Proficiency (firearms) (gunner only) |Hand=n/a |Damage=6d8 |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=250 ft |MaxRange=2500 ft |Reload=2 full rounds (minimum) |Cost=15,000 gp |Text=Requires a crew of 2-4. Loading or reloading takes 2 full rounds with 4 crew members, 3 full rounds with 3 crew members, or 4 full rounds with 2 crew members. Once the weapon is loaded, it can be fired as an attack action by the gunner. It is a huge weapon, and therefore imparts a -8 penalty to attack rolls when fired by a medium creature. On a ship, this type of weapon requires a heavy mount. Against ships, a cannon bypasses the normal 50% damage reduction of a ship's hull. }} |
{{Weapon |Name=Rolling Doom |Type=Ranged |Feat=Martial Weapon Group Proficiency (firearms) (gunner only) |Hand=n/a |Damage=3d8 |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=50 ft |MaxRange=500 ft |Reload=2 full rounds (minimum) |Cost=25,000 gp |Text=Consists of eight light cannons on a rotating ring. Requires a crew of 1-8. Loading or reloading takes the same time as a light cannon, but for each barrel; with 8 crew members, it takes 2 full rounds per barrell. Once the weapon is loaded, it can be fired one barrel at a time by the gunner, each as an attack action. Alternatively, the gunner may fire all 8 barrels as a full attack action; each attack, after the gunner runs out of normally allowed attacks per round, suffers a cumulative -4 penalty to hit. It is a gargantuan weapon, and therefore imparts a -12 penalty to attack rolls when fired by a medium creature. On a ship, this type of weapon must be mounted above decks on a heavy mount. Against ships, a cannon bypasses the normal 50% damage reduction of a ship's hull. }} |
Convential Cannons as Personal Weapons
A creature can wield a cannon as if it were a firearm, though the cannon must be specifically modified for that purpose, and the required proficiency is Exotic Weapon Proficiency.
To wield a cannon, a creature must be able to lift the cannon without exceeding her heavy encumbrance capacity. For each size category of the cannon exceeding the size of the creature, she suffers a -4 size penalty to attack rolls. Also, if she is not large enough to wield the cannon without penalty, she must reload it as if it were a siege weapon (see above).
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{{Weapon |Name=Light cannon, personal |Type=Ranged |Feat=Exotic Weapon Proficiency |Hand=One-handed |Damage=3d8 |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=125 ft |MaxRange=1250 ft |Reload=1 full round |Cost=5,000 gp |Text=Rapid Reload shortens reload time to move action. Reload requires two hands. This is a huge weapon, and entails penalties when fired by a non-huge creature. }} |
{{Weapon |Name=Heavy cannon, personal |Type=Ranged |Feat=Exotic Weapon Proficiency |Hand=Two-handed |Damage=6d8 |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=250 ft |MaxRange=2500 ft |Reload=2 full rounds |Cost=15,000 gp |Text=Rapid Reload shortens reload time to 1 full round. This is a huge weapon, and entails penalties when fired by a non-huge creature.}} |
{{Weapon |Name=Rolling Doom |Type=Ranged |Feat=Exotic Weapon Proficiency |Hand=Two-handed |Damage=3d8 |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=50 ft |MaxRange=500 ft |Reload=8 full rounds, or 1 full round with rapid reloader |Cost=25,000 gp (1,000 gp for rapid reloader) |Text=Holds 8 shots, each fired as an attack action. Can fire more than normal allotment of shots at cumulative -4 penalty per shot. Rapid Reload shortens reload time to 4 full rounds. This is a gargantuan weapon, and entails penalties when fired by a non-gargantuan creature. A rapid reloader is a special device which holds 8 cleaning brushes on one side, and 8 ready cannonballs on the other, sized to fit exactly into this gun. Each one must be prepared in advance (as an 8-round action) in order to be used. It takes 1 full round to reload the gun with this device, or 1 move action with Rapid Reload. }} |
Magical Cannons
As a fringe option, fully automated cannons exist. They use no ammunition, require no crewmen, and can even be fired in groups by a single gunner. All of this convenience comes at a steep cost, generally more expensive than the conventional alternative.
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{{Weapon |Name=Light arcane cannon |Type=Ranged |Feat=Simple Weapon Proficiency |Hand=n/a |Damage=4d8 arcane |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=250 ft |MaxRange=2500 ft |Reload=None |Cost=50,000 gp |Text=Can be directed with a command word to fire at any visible target, or in any designated direction, once per round. The arcane bolts it fires are not subject to gravity or wind shear. Multiple cannons can be linked to the same command word, allowing all cannons within audible range to be fired by the same person, at the same target. }} |
{{Weapon |Name=Heavy arcane cannon |Type=Ranged |Feat=Simple Weapon Proficiency |Hand=n/a |Damage=8d8 arcane |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=500 ft |MaxRange=5000 ft |Reload=None |Cost=150,000 gp |Text=Can be directed with a command word to fire at any visible target, or in any designated direction, once per round. The arcane bolts it fires are not subject to gravity or wind shear. Multiple cannons can be linked to the same command word, allowing all cannons within audible range to be fired by the same person, at the same target. }} |
{{Weapon |Name=Repeating arcane cannon |Type=Ranged |Feat=Simple Weapon Proficiency |Hand=n/a |Damage=3d8 |Critical=20/x3 |RangeIncrement=100 ft |MaxRange=1000 ft |Reload=None |Cost=250,000 gp |Text=Identical to the light arcane cannon, except it can fire eight times per round. }} |
